Office Information

Columbia

Partner in Charge

Robert P. Bethea, Jr.

803.212.4978

Regional Office Manager

Lucy Sipes

803-212-4976

Columbia, South CarolinaLocated in the Midlands region, Columbia is proudly positioned as the state capital and also largest city in South Carolina. Columbia lies at the confluence of two rivers, the Saluda and the Broad, which merge to form the Congaree River.

Columbia’s city motto is “Famously Hot” with a Southern forward-thinking, dynamic pulse, and array of activities. including being at the center of the state at the convergence of three rippling rivers lined by a riverwalk. According to the Columbia Convention Visitors Bureau,“Columbia may be known for its ‘hot spots,’ but opens the eyes of visitors and residents daily to a ‘surprisingly cool’ lifestyle and culture.”

Columbia’s economy is diversified with major employers consisting of the South Carolina state government, the Palmetto Health hospital system, Blue Cross Blue Shield of SC, Palmetto GBA, and the University of South Carolina. The corporate headquarters of Fortune 1000 energy company, SCANA, is located in the Columbia suburb of Cayce. The Columbia metro area appeared on Forbes/Milken Institute’s list of “Best Places for Business and Careers,” ranked 96 out of 200 metro areas with the criteria of salary growth, job growth, number of technology clusters, overall concentration of technology activity relative to national average, and technology output growth.

Columbia was named as No. 8 on Entrepreneur.com’s list of Hot Mid-Size Cities for Entrepreneurs. The Columbia Metro area was selected as one of “America’s 50 Hottest Cities” for business relocations and expansions.

Columbia’s most popular recreational park, Finlay Park, is an 18-acre park that serves as the site for such events as Kids Day, The Summer Concert Series, plus many more activities. In 1992, the park was renamed Finlay Park, in honor of Kirkman Finlay, a past mayor of Columbia who had a vision to reenergize the historic Congaree Vista district, between Main Street and the river, and recreate the site that was formerly known as Sidney Park.

The South Carolina State Fair is held annually in Columbia in the month of October, with rides, food, and games that attract local and widespread attendants. Exhibits featuring art, crafts, flowers, and livestock cover the fairgrounds.

Columbia is home to the main campus of the University of South Carolina, an urban university, located in downtown. The school has a world-renowned international business program, ranking No. 1 in the nation for its undergraduate international business program and No. 2 for its graduate international business program in the U.S. News & World Report college and graduate school guides.